In a Flash
by tact-and-impulse
Summary: Short pieces, for Ruroken Week 2017.


**Author's Note: Reformatted to one page. These were all written for Ruroken Week 2017 prompts, and I didn't have much time to spare because of real life responsibilities. So, before you criticize my writing, please keep that in mind.**

* * *

 _Battle Couple_

In the midst of the fray, Kenshin realized that figure, moving surely in the moonlight, was Kaoru. Her voice was a little hoarse from shouting, but her expression was determined, as she thrust forward with the naginata. _I want to fight alongside you_ , she had said, and after landing before her, he took in her gleaming face. How he could have left her behind, he didn't know, because she was here, unhurt and more than capable, and _breathtaking_. Then, the noise of battle returned at once, and with reluctance, he had to tear away.

* * *

 _The Future_

Misao ripped the cloth in her hands, one last sob escaping through her teeth. Jiiya's wounds were dire, and more makeshift bandages had to be made. She was finished crying; she had to focus on the future, for the fate of Kyoto was in the balance. If Aoshi was their enemy, so be it, she would turn her kunai towards him, because she was no longer a child, she was the Oniwabanshuu's leader. The stitches snapped under her fingers, and the sound was grating, but she did not falter as she held her head high.

* * *

 _Desire/Regret_

Yahiko had not been strong enough to support his mother, and the waning moon reminded him of her thin face, before she died. He slid across the ground, knocking out the legs of two enemies from underneath them, and struck hard with his shinai. Kaoru said that he had improved, and he vehemently agreed. He was tired of being weak and overlooked, but here, he was fighting alongside everyone else. Every second was proof that while he couldn't rewind time, he was getting stronger, for himself and for the people who cared for him now.

* * *

 _Battle Scars_

When her friends returned to the Aoiya, bruised and bloody and filthy beyond measure, Megumi was there waiting for them. She hid her relief behind a mask of dismay, and set to work. She applied poultices, tied bandages, and carefully, carefully measured doses of powdered medicine. _They'd all have scars from this_ , she lamented aloud, but still, she was so relieved. As long as they felt pain, they were alive, and as long as they were alive, she would do her best to heal them.

* * *

 _The Sword That Gives Life_

Kaoru swept her proud gaze over her students, practicing the new kata she had showed them. The story of the Kyoto battle had awed and motivated them, yet she had made sure to set them straight. Above all, Kamiya Kasshin wielded the sword that gave life; this belief was why they fought in the first place. From his place near the clothesline, Kenshin met her gaze and nodded to show how much her family's philosophy meant to him. In the new era that they would watch over together, he had sworn to protect life too, and her face warmed as she smiled.

* * *

 _Redemption_

The opponent's fist just glanced off Sano's jaw, and he ignored the pain as he returned the blow. He was definitely going to be chewed out for reopening his wounds, but he couldn't care less. He had beaten those thugs harassing the shopkeeper, and he managed a grin. Before he met Kenshin and everyone else, he had been struggling to fill the gap the Sekihoutai left behind. However, he picked better fights now, and perhaps, he was somewhat of a better person too.

* * *

 _Fighting Is Not Everything_

Years later, Kenji threw himself into a pile of fallen maple leaves, because it was unfair that he was too young to spar. Kaa-chan had told him to watch, but watching was _boring_. He flailed and moped, before a pair of familiar arms lifted him. _Fighting is not everything_ , Tou-chan said, but he had smiled, and that only made Kenji more frustrated. He turned up his nose, but he allowed Tou-chan to win him over with promises of onigiri for dinner and that someday, he would learn the meaning of peace.


End file.
